Spain court bans atheist march on Holy Thursday

[Abyssinia]

A court has barred atheists from holding a march on Holy Thursday, saying that would be offensive to Spanish Catholics who mark Easter with processions of their own.

In Wednesday’s ruling, the Madrid Superior Court of Justice upheld a ban imposed last week by the Interior Ministry office for the Madrid region.

That office had argued among other things that the march planned in the Lavapies district of Madrid would pass by several Catholic churches and could trigger clashes with conservative Catholics. The court also said it is necessary to “protect the tourist image” of the city.

The Madrid Association of Atheists and Free-Thinkers, one of the march organizers, said the ban shows there is no separation of church and state in Spain, a largely Catholic country.

Read more: foxnews.com/world/2011/04/21/spain-court-bans-atheist-march-holy-thursday/#ixzz1KFZPIgaP

 

[PiousTemplar]

Woot. Good job on the Conservative rulers.

 

[TempleofTheSoul]

Yes, a very wise decision.

Have a blessed Good Friday everyone.

 

[Redratfish]

A court has barred atheists from holding a march on Holy Thursday, saying that would be offensive to Spanish Catholics who mark Easter with processions of their own.

In Wednesday’s ruling, the Madrid Superior Court of Justice upheld a ban imposed last week by the Interior Ministry office for the Madrid region.

That office had argued among other things that the march planned in the Lavapies district of Madrid would pass by several Catholic churches and could trigger clashes with conservative Catholics. The court also said it is necessary to “protect the tourist image” of the city.

The Madrid Association of Atheists and Free-Thinkers, one of the march organizers, said the ban shows there is no separation of church and state in Spain, a largely Catholic country.

Read more: foxnews.com/world/2011/04/21/spain-court-bans-atheist-march-holy-thursday/#ixzz1KFZPIgaP

Would never happen in America though.

Way to go Spain

 

[Dale_M]

Woot. Good job on the Conservative rulers.

Spain has been ruled by a Socialist party, the PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español), for the past six years or so.

Would never happen in America though.

Probably not, since it would run afoul of past rulings on freedom of speech.

Nonetheless, the decision will help keep the peace. As readers of this forum are aware, Spanish atheists have been aggressive lately, with vandalism and disruptions of Mass. The march would have been a provocation, given the posters and rhetoric of past demonstrations.

 

[Nelka]

A court has barred atheists from holding a march on Holy Thursday, saying that would be offensive to Spanish Catholics who mark Easter with processions of their own.

In Wednesday’s ruling, the Madrid Superior Court of Justice upheld a ban imposed last week by the Interior Ministry office for the Madrid region.

That office had argued among other things that the march planned in the Lavapies district of Madrid would pass by several Catholic churches and could trigger clashes with conservative Catholics. The court also said it is necessary to “protect the tourist image” of the city.

The Madrid Association of Atheists and Free-Thinkers, one of the march organizers, said the ban shows there is no separation of church and state in Spain, a largely Catholic country.

Read more: foxnews.com/world/2011/04/21/spain-court-bans-atheist-march-holy-thursday/#ixzz1KFZPIgaP

Just imagine:

A court has barred Catholics from holding a walking with the cross on Good Friday, saying that would be offensive to aetheists who want to mark Easter with processions of their own.

Yes, it would be England.

 

[m8g8]

Just imagine:

A court has barred Catholics from holding a walking with the cross on Good Friday, saying that would be offensive to aetheists who want to mark Easter with processions of their own.

Yes, it would be England.

Haha! So true

 

[Ratboy]

I can’t believe some of you agree with this. This is clearly an attack on free speech.

 

[SanAgustin]

I’m all for free speech.

However, it’s an obvious attempt at provocation and confrontation. I would have no problem with Atheists marches that can happen on other days, but in this case, it’s a deliberate attempt to insult people.

It seems like a very practical ruling. Doesn’t prevent the atheists from talking about atheism for all Holy Week and having … er … fun with it I guess.

 

[jam070406]

I can’t believe some of you agree with this. This is clearly an attack on free speech.

Don’t you have something better to do then antagonize Catholics on a Holy day about something you don’t believe exists anyway?

 

[Ratboy]

Don’t you have something better to do then antagonize Catholics on a Holy day about something you don’t believe exists anyway?

I’m not antagonizing Catholics or anyone else. I didn’t take part in that march.

I joined the forum hoping that I could have decent conversations. I’m not really feeling the Christian love here.

 

[SanAgustin]

I’m not antagonizing Catholics or anyone else. I didn’t take part in that march.

I joined the forum hoping that I could have decent conversations. I’m not really feeling the Christian love here.

Don’t judge the forum by one poster. I think you do raise a valid point, but see my reply. I think sometimes you have to account for context and purpose for these things, and this one is obviously designed in a way to create a confrontation. I wouldn’t have a problem with this any other set of days, however, I’m not sure I could justify it with our constitution if it was an issue here. Look at the Westboro Baptist Church case, for example.

 

[jam070406]

I’m not antagonizing Catholics or anyone else. I didn’t take part in that march.

I joined the forum hoping that I could have decent conversations. I’m not really feeling the Christian love here.

Sorry. I went on the defensive. I apologize. Welcome.

 

[TevereNauta]

Thank the Good Lord that Spain maintains sound, objective jurisprudence; and that its political authorities will not abandon the glorious and Catholic history of Spain to join the ‘in’ crowd of shrill, militant, and nihilistic atheists and secular humanists. My my, Anderson Cooper will not be pleased! Somebody call Amnesty International!

To those arguing ‘freedom of speech’ and all that I say that in the West the secularists and atheists have been given far too much freedom of speech—to the point they are allowed to openly browbeat Christians—and that Christians have been afforded far too little free speech. The ‘antics’ of the far left and militant anti-theists have just about worn out my patience and charity…on a side note: did any of your see that filthy underwear marathon in Utah the other day, protesting the ‘uptight’ Mormons? A disgrace, some of the deviants even scrawled ‘666’ and ‘I heart Satan’ on their bared, out of shape bodies.

At any rate thank the Good Lord that Spain is not going to surrender the Faith. It gives me hope for Europe. Viva Espana!

 

[7_Sorrows]

good decision on the part of the Madrid Superior Court of Justice. good common sense!
why don’t the atheists choose to march on Jewish holiday or a Muslim holiday?
i don’t mind if the atheists march, but choose a day not associated with a religious holiday. don’t they have a international atheists day or something like that?

 

[Dale_M]

I can’t believe some of you agree with this. This is clearly an attack on free speech.

Perhaps it is similar to the case in the US where a group of neo-Nazis wanted a parade permit to march through the predominantly Jewish town of Skokie, Illinois. The neo-Nazis were eventually granted permission, after a court challenge by the ACLU.

Certainly that was a victory for free speech, but was it a victory for the common good? Is speech an absolute right? What are the proper limits on free speech?

 

[cornbread_r2]

Ideas we agree with don’t need to be protected.

 

[SanAgustin]

Ideas we agree with don’t need to be protected.

The issue here is restricting a public march intended to inflame and offend in a religious holiday.

Again, I think under the US Constitution this would be protected, but I can see an argument being made for this being so blatantly inflammatory. I certainly think you should have a right to express your Atheist ideas, but this march is more than that.

 

[cornbread_r2]

The issue here is restricting a public march intended to inflame and offend in a religious holiday.

Again, I think under the US Constitution this would be protected, but I can see an argument being made for this being so blatantly inflammatory. I certainly think you should have a right to express your Atheist ideas, but this march is more than that.

I don’t think people have a right not to be offended for their religious ideas – even really, really offended. To rephrase my earlier post: Inoffensive speech doesn’t need to be protected.

What I find most disturbing about this is that the mere possibility that some people might violently – and illegally – deny the rights of the marchers to march was enough for the court to deny the marchers their right to march. That seems pretty messed up to me. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, that’s exactly the justification used by Isabella and Ferdinand and others for their various Inquisitions, i.e. heresy/atheism/non-belief disturbs public order; the state has a duty to preserve public order; the state has a duty to suppress heresy/atheism/non-belief. (Maybe that – and Franco – explains why Spanish atheists might be more aggressive.)

 

[SanAgustin]

To be clear, I support their right to express their beliefs or lack of beliefs. I’m just saying that the ruling is understandable as they had to ask permission for the march, and none was granted because the court noted their calculated confrontational purpose. Given that there has been violent clashes over this issue before, the court seems to be considering the reasonable common good here.

Again, I know it’s not a strong pro-free speech argument, I’m not trying to convince you otherwise, but given the confrontational nature of it I’d be a hypocrite to say I’m not pleased with the result.

It might be more difficult to achieve such result in the US, though, and probably we’re better off for that.

Too bad the atheist group can’t find a way to express their views in another way.